Harry Potter Pumpkin Pasties Recipe

4.58 from 111 votes

Harry Potter's famous pumpkin pasties sold in the Hogwarts Express. Flaky crust and a delicious spicy-sweet pumpkin filling.

Prep Time45

Cook Time20

Total Time1 5

Course: Pies and Cheesecakes

Cuisine: English

Servings: pasties

Calories: 123kcal

Author: Adina

Cool butter: Cut the butter into small cubes, place them in one layer on a plate, and put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes; they should not be frozen, only get really cold.
140 g unsalted butter
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor/stand mixer.
175 g all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar + a pinch of salt
Add butter cubes and process shortly, about 10 pulses, but it depends on the machine you are using. The dough should resemble breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of icy water, and pulse a few times again until the dough comes together. Add the third tablespoon of water if necessary; sometimes I do add it, sometimes not; it depends on how exactly you weigh the flour and sometimes on the brand of the flour itself. The dough should hold together when you press a little bit of it between your fingers.
Refrigerate: Form a ball, divide it into two portions, press each piece into a disc and wrap the discs tightly in plastic foil. You will only need one portion to make about 15 pasties. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Alternatively, you can use a ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry.

Make pumpkin puree (optional): If you want to make your pumpkin puree, halve and deseed a small pumpkin. Place the halves on a baking tray and bake at 200°C/ 400°F for about 35-45 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Let cool a little, remove the skin, and puree the pumpkin flesh in the food processor.
To make the filling, you will only need about 100 g/ ½ cup of it.
Make pasty filling: Mix pumpkin puree with the spices and set aside.
100 g pumpkin puree + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon + a pinch of allspice + a pinch of cardamom + a pinch of nutmeg + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

When ready to roll the dough, preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°C.
Roll dough: Sprinkle the working surface with a bit of flour and roll one of the refrigerated dough discs, about 3 mm / 0.12 inches thick.
Cut dough circles using a pastry cutter or the edge of a glass. My circles had a diameter of 8 cm/ 3 inches, and the resulting pasties were small. After rolling the remaining scraps a couple of times as well, I had 15 pasties.
Optional savory filling (Note 4): Roll out the remaining dough, cut about 15 circles, and fill them with a savory mixture. Omit the sugar from the pumpkin filling and sprinkle a little grated cheese on top before sealing the pasties.
Fill pasties: Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the filling on one side of the pastry circles, dab the pastry edges with a wet finger and fold the other side over. You will now have the half-moons.
Crimp: Press the edges with a fork to crimp and close them.
Cut vents: Using a small sharp knife, cut some tiny slits on top to create vents. I cut the vents in the form of Harry's scar, but you don't have to do that; an ordinary X will suffice.
Place the pasties on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Egg wash: Mix the egg yolk with the milk. Brush the pasties.
1 egg yolk + 2 tablespoons milk
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until nicely golden.
Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it ensures the best results (Amazon affiliate link).
Pastry: You will have enough pastry for 2 batches of pasties.
Sweet filling: The quantities below are enough to fill half of the pastry (about 15 pasties). If you want to use all the dough, double the filling amount - or even better, make one batch of sweet filling and one of savory.
Savory filling: Omit the sugar from the mixture and sprinkle a little grated cheese (Cheddar or similar) over the filling before sealing the pasties.